The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1887-08-11

from the effects of the meal he was now
eating, it would be exceedingly doubt
full il he would have any desire for any
thing so substantial as dried pumpkin
,'e an inch thick for some time.
At last Tom stopped eating. evident-
" more because the others did than
from any personal reason.
'Jes' give the hogs bout four buck
cts o. that swill In the bar'l by the door.
an pump up the trough full o water.
an turn the bosses oat'n the pasture.
an then ye better 20 t bed cause we
want'o be out o bed gin sun-up in the
mornin'," said Zachariah to Tom rs
they rose from the supper-table. Il
swar. Hammer" he continued. after
Tom went out, ibid you see how he
waded into the bread n butterp"
He did pear t have q powerful
good appetite"
"Wall, I should say so! wy l
thought he'ud kill himself dead. II
the blame cuss keeps eatin' like that
he'll eat us out o. house'n' home. If
he slows it way like that now wot'n
he do when he CESS t diggin' post
holes"
Il dunno. Zacarier. yer the one what
hired him."
Ireckon. pap. the Teller mightn't o
had any dinner, still" remarked Alice.
Zachariah looked at Hannah andlHan-
nah looked at Zachariah. If Alice
wasn't standing up for him already
and man whose looks were so against
him, too! Mast that dreadful pump
kin pie episode be repeated? They
both groaned-inwardly-and Zachari-
ali went out to see that the hogs were
properly fed, and Hannah to water
some choice cabbages.
The next day the grand attack was
made on the post-holes. For several
days following. the post-hole and
barbed- wire fence campaign was kept
up. Then there was the breaking on
the back forty, and the haying in the
slough. and the corn cultivating and
a number of those pleasant little rec
reations which farm life is subject to
between "seedin' N harvest" And
in everything Zachariah found Tom a
model hired man. He could dig few
more post-holes. and do little more
breaking and pitch hay little harder.
and stay in the corn-feld little long
er than Zachariah could himself. In
fact, in his own words, 'that man
'peared t be bout as chuck full O.
hard days work as they make 'em. !"
And he also proved to be remarkably
good-natured and reliable. But alas!
there was the old trouble. PieP Well
no, not pie yet. but it seemed as if it
might almost reach that before it cul-
minated.
1t started on the Fourth of July.
Zachariah had told Tom to hitch up
old Doll and 1.-THE colt Gust past the
eighteenth anniversary of his birth)
and they would all drive into town and
witness the great celebration. "a ceIe-
bration." remarked the able Appleby
Agitator, ''never before equaled in our
Territory-one in which the Eagle will
Scream and strong men and fair women
will vie with each other in doing honor
to our Nations Birthday"
When Zachariah and his amiable
spouse reached the door what was their
horror to find Tom and Alice on the
front seat, leaving the buck seat for
them. 1t did no good to look at them
they were very busy discussing the
relative beauty of different colored
horses. Alice having just stated her
preference for the spotted variety ':like
circus hoss," and Tom rather leaned
in that direction himself. So there was
nothing to do, and they rode to the
great celebration as the young people
had arranged it.
And while in town, though not
proved, il was nevertheless strongly
suspected that Tom bought this plump
and red-cheeked girl ice-cream and
red lemonade. and it was never alto
gether clear where the bag of peanuts
and candy which her mother discov-
cred in the cupboard next morning
came from unless from the same
source.
And then they happened to walk
homo from church a great many times
together. And when harvest came on
Alice seemed very fond of carrying
particularly large and choice lunch
cons out into the field.
So the season wore away. Harvest
was thing of the past. The grain
had been stacked and thrashed, ''this
immediate section coming forward
with a larger yield than any other
portion of the territory again
quote from our friend the Agitator.
Contrasting time was even at hand.
and the pumpkins were ripe-which
meant fresh pumpkin pies and great
hoops of pumpkin hung up around the
chimney to dry against a time when
the fresh pumpkins was no longer
1
with US.
Tom still worked as faithfully and
as good-naturedly as ever. He had
even got claim of his own in the
neighborhood and talked of going to
farming for himself in the spring.
Zachariah shook his head; he didn'i
know what Tom might be thinking Of
Not but what Tom was a remarkably
good fellow, and had risen rapidly in
his estimation, but he didn't altogether
like the idea of the best men paying
too much attention to his Alice. Sc
he shook his head and had his suspi-
cions. But it was all going to come
out and that very soon. though botf
Alice and Tom were going about all
unconscious of the danger.
PieP again whispers the anxious